Top Pick: New Balance 550 Aime Leon Dore | $312 | StockX
Have you ever seen something on a TV show, in a music video, or through a commercial and thought, man, I should pick that up? Have you ever been frustrated you couldn’t just press a button and get it delivered to your door? Welcome to DroppTV, a retail platform I am personally grateful didn’t exist when I was a kid for fear of the trouble I would have gotten into with my parents overusing it. Focusing on sneakers and streetwear, DroppTV airs a constantly rotating selection of music videos and custom video content. See a jacket you dig? Notice your favorite rapper rocking a pair of kicks you suddenly have to have for yourself? No problem. In just a few clicks, DroppTV can make it yours.
It’s hard for a new brand to carve out a space for itself in the sneaker market these days. Gimmicks will only take you so far and the dominant names (StockX, GOAT, etc.) have a bit of a stranglehold on things, it often seems. DroppTV’s platform may sound a little crazy but it’s making an impact—and it works. The interface is seamless and the lineup of products it offers is pretty killer. It’s what you’d expect from mastermind Gurps Singh Rai, one of the minds behind the service. We caught up with Gurps to talk grails, his latest pickups, and what sneakers have been in his rotation lately.
My Most Recent Pickup: New Balance 550 Aime Leon Dore
“I literally just got a shipment! I love New Balances, the classic stuff, and the one that came today is the Aime Leon Dore.”
My Shopping Habits
“I love buying things that have a connection to hip hop and the culture and have character. If I’m buying something I want to know the history behind it. I want that brand that’s unknown but has a story behind it. I’m a big fan of Willie Esco, one of the godfathers of streetwear. He bought this brand called Jaclar and learning about the brand, I ended up falling in love with them and supporting them. I’ve been buying a lot of their stuff, from them but also from Dropp and eBay. I’ve been finding sneakers from the ‘70s, stuff that’s like, a piece of history that if you don’t talk about it, it gets forgotten.”
My Go-To Beaters: Jaclar Intimidators
“Man, I love the Jaclar Intimidators. They’re like a hybrid of the Jordan 1 with better ankle support. Since I got introduced to them in 2018 I’m always buying them, like I’ll have one pair to wear and one in case the company goes outta business or they stop making them.”
My Favorite Resale Platform | Stadium Goods
“Yeah, the thing is this: all the other platforms, I get a lot of fakes if I buy from them. With Stadium Goods, I’ve never had that issue. I don’t know if they have a smaller volume of sales or whatever but I get a lot of fakes. I saw my nephew a year ago in London and he just had a ton of fakes. He’d gotten them all from other platforms. And they have brick and mortar locations, you know? You can put a face to who you’re dealing with. If I buy something and it’s a little janky, at least I can go talk to them about it.”
What I Like To Wear: Yeezy 350 V2
“It depends on the day, man. I’m in Toronto right now so it’s always snowing. I don’t wanna mess up nothing nice. It really depends on the city I’m in. If I’m in LA I’m wearing something that fits the climate and the vibe better. If I’m in New York I like to wear darker pairs because it can be a little rougher outside, especially in the wintertime.”
“That said, if I’m in Dubai I like to wear Yeezy 350s. They let your feet breathe.”
My 2020 Sneaker of the Year: Air Jordan 1 Dior
“I’ll say the Diors. I know they’re ridiculously expensive, but it’s like, if you look at the entire marketing campaign and how they put it together, it’s wild. And the actual shoe, when you get it you can tell that it’s hand-crafted. I like the vibe, the collectibility of them. There’s like 10 million people trying to buy 10,000 shoes. And they look great, they really blend the luxury end of fashion with the casual. I’ll wear that out. Once life gets back to normal I’m wearing those out.”
My Grail | The Originals
“I’ve got all the pairs I really want, you know? I’ve got the Mags, I’ve got the Red Octobers. I think where I’m at now is I want the original, you know? I want the shoe that was released in the ‘80s. I like to create that challenge for myself, get people digging into crates and stuff.”